Development departments in industry, especially the automotive industry, are intensifying their search for possible ways to provide components of low weight at the same time as improved or at least equally good performance and favorable cost characteristics.
From the prior art various methods are already known for producing pressed, fiber-reinforced plastic components, particularly for use in motor vehicles, all of which have in common that to consolidate and connect the fiber layers, pressure has to be applied by pressing from the outside. However, the methods of the prior art have the disadvantage that complex, branching structures with sections of the structures that overlap in the pressing direction demand high cost and effort (slider techniques with separate control mechanisms) for the dies required, or entail the provision of cores. Since the position of a core can often not be defined exactly from outside, there is a risk that different wall thicknesses or undefined geometrical configurations may be produced. Alternatively complex components with undercuts are avoided, particularly when using thermosetting plastic resin systems, because slider techniques or multi-component dies require elaborate sealing due to the low viscosity of the resin and cannot be operated reliably for mass production, since in time the resin clogs up the movement mechanisms of the sliders.